The Singh Twins spotlight Kew’s role in the business of Empire
Two groundbreaking new exhibitions examine Kew’s role in the business of Empire, recover the lost stories of remarkable artworks and illuminate traditional Indian art
THE SINGH TWINS: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire & Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art
Saturday 11 October 2025 – Sunday 12 April 2026, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens
World premiere solo exhibition of work by The Singh Twins examining the global mythologies of plants and the histories of Empire, inspired by Kew’s collections
Work by The Singh Twins fuses traditional Indian and contemporary Western influences through creative digital technologies
Flora Indica – a world first public display of never-before-seen work by historical Indian botanical artists
A celebration of the lost histories and hidden masters of Kew’s South Asian illustration collections, attributing work to their creators for the first time
Curated menu from chef Anjula Devi in Kew’s Pavilion Bar & Grill from 11 October – 14 November
From October 2025, two new complementary exhibitions at Kew’s Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art will explore Kew’s colonial past and the connections between traditional Indian Art and contemporary art practice. From a world-first public display of previously lost historical botanical art by Indian artists, to vibrant contemporary pieces by The Singh Twins exploring the mythologies of plants and responding to the colonial history of botany, the exhibitions will examine Kew’s role in the business of the British Empire, recovering the lost stories of remarkable artwork and illuminating the legacy of traditional Indian art.
The Singh Twins
This solo exhibition in Gallery 5 will feature a range of existing and never-before-seen artworks by internationally renowned contemporary British artists The Singh Twins. This exhibition has been commissioned by Kew as a contemporary artistic response to its Flora Indica botanical drawings and Economic Botany collections.
Collectively titled Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire, the Twins’ works will highlight diverse narratives around empire, colonialism and their legacies, inspired by the collections and the wider story of botany. These works will explore interrelationships between the histories of botany, conflict and enslavement, and will interrogate the wealth which the British Empire amassed from the development of economic botany: the hunting, cultivation and trade of plants, including cotton, spices and dyes — something which botanists from Kew were directly involved in. Displayed as digital-printed fabric, light box artworks, they will illustrate how the seeds of empire were sewn during the age of European exploration from the late 15th to 17th centuries, driven by a desire to access commercially valuable plants beyond European boundaries. This innovative artistic response to colonial botany and its legacies will also reflect the work of the East India Company and the creation of the Wallich Collection, the source of much of Kew’s archive of Indian material, some of which will be exhibited as part of the Flora Indica display.
Alongside these artworks will be a collection of allegorical portraits by The Singh Twins showcasing the symbolism, mythologies and folklore of a range of plants (including saffron, poppies, tulips and pomegranate). These portraits, collectively titled The Masala Art Series will celebrate the cultural value and significance of plants across different global traditions, as well as the reverent relationships that these traditions have with the natural world, presenting a stark contrast to Western colonialism’s unfettered exploitation of plants and the continued commodification of natural resources in the modern world.
Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire will also feature the short film King Cotton: An Artist’s Tale, set to a poem written and narrated by The Singh Twins. The film explores the colonial history of cotton and its relevance to issues of globalisation, fair labour and climate change today. Visitors will also be able to see how the Twins have referenced Kew’s Indian botanical collections in the development of their new works.
The exhibition themes will be explored through digital mixed-medium artworks combining Indian miniature aesthetics with elements inspired by western traditions in art that have floral iconography and symbolism at their heart. Created in different mediums, involving both traditional hand-painted techniques and digital technologies, the exhibition will not only represent a modern development in the history of botanical art and the art of Indian miniature painting, but will also explore how the natural world continues to inspire creative expression today.
The Singh Twins say: “Working with Kew’s collections has been fascinating and illuminating. We hope that visitors to the exhibition will find our artistic response – which offers valuable insights into Kew’s colonial past and demonstrates the relevance of their collections to diverse audiences, whilst also celebrating the deep-rooted importance and meaning of plants across global cultures – enjoyable and thought provoking in equal measure.”
Flora Indica: recovering lost histories of Indian botanical art
In Galleries 1-4, visitors will encounter Flora Indica, a collection of 52 previously lost botanical artworks seen for the first time here as part of a comprehensive collection. For the first time, and wherever possible, the exhibition will attribute and celebrate these artists as vital co-creators, of both astonishing artwork and burgeoning colonial botanical knowledge.
These botanical watercolours, created between 1790 and 1850, were commissioned by British botanists, many of whom were employed by the East India Company (EIC) to document India’s rich plant diversity. Some of these, including poppies, cotton and a range of herbs and spices, would go on to deliver great economic benefits for the British Empire.
The artworks were created by commissioned Indian artists on Indian soil, to document flora native to South and South-East Asia and plants introduced from other parts of the world. Following their creation, the drawings were transported to London, where they remained in private collections or in the EIC’s India Museum. After the museum was disbanded in 1879, the botanical drawings were transferred to Kew Gardens.
Until recently, Kew’s archive collection of over 7,000 Indian illustrations had been largely uncatalogued and used by only a small number of taxonomists, inaccessible to the rest of the world. Since 2018, Dr Henry Noltie has been working to reassemble this archive – cataloguing the drawings and identifying the plants shown and the artists who made them, the results of which will be seen in this exhibition.
Flora Indica, co-curated by Dr Henry Noltie and Dr Sita Reddy, will take visitors on a journey which explores the environments in which these master artists worked, encompassing areas which today cover India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The style of works represents a fusion of traditional Indian artistry and techniques with botanists’ demands for naturalism and scientific specificity. Related herbarium specimens and archive objects will also be displayed across the gallery to illuminate this largely untold story, recognising the vital role of Indian artists in helping to advance both scientific knowledge and the aesthetics of botanical art.
Dr Henry Noltie and Dr Sita Reddy, co-curators of Flora Indica add: “It has been a privilege to help to recover these exquisite drawings from archival obscurity, and to present them to the world with the remarkable stories that they can
tell – of the artists who painted them, of the colonial context in which they were made, and their role in the development of botanical knowledge.”
Maria Devaney, Galleries and Exhibition Leader at RBG Kew reflects: “Both of these exhibitions have been several years in the making and represent the culmination of lengthy research, development and creative processes, as well as a huge amount of collaboration. I hope visitors to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art this autumn will enjoy the opportunity to engage with and find out more about the remarkable hidden stories of Kew’s botanical art archives through Flora Indica, as well as feeling inspired and empowered by the contemporary responses created by The Singh Twins with their astonishing new works in Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire.”
Accompanying books will be published by Kew Publishing.
The Shirley Sherwood Collection
A celebration of India’s rich biodiversity will be on display in Gallery Six.
From arid deserts and high-altitude mountain regions to tropical coastlines, India has a diverse climate and topography. Heavy rainfall and the high temperatures of the monsoons generally dominate the summer months, reaching highs of 55ºC in the north. In contrast, India also experiences icy winter lows of -45ºC in the Himalaya.
Naturally, a varied climate lends itself well to a wide range of native plants. It also facilitates agricultural production and India is one of the top global producers of crops such as sugar cane, cotton, tea, mango, coconuts and bananas.
Several of the world’s most remarkable and beautiful flowers make their homes in India. There are golden nuggets wherever you turn: rhododendrons in the Himalaya, abundant orchids in forests and lotuses in rivers, lakes and marshes.
Yet various plants also take on a large cultural and religious significance. Marigolds, roses and the sacred lotus, for example, carry meaningful symbolism and are used extensively in ceremonies and festivals taking place across India.
Featuring remarkable artworks from The Shirley Sherwood Collection, this exhibition invites you to explore the country’s most important crops, notorious natives and emblematic plants. India has a rich and diverse biodiversity.
Anjula Devi Menu
From 11th October to 14th November, acclaimed chef and author Anjula Devi will curate a special menu of Indian dishes in the Pavilion Bar & Grill at Kew Gardens to tie in with these new exhibitions. Known for her powerful blend of connection, empowerment, and storytelling through food, Anjula’s dishes will include a range of ingredients, celebrating the unique traditions and flavours of Indian cuisine.
At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we’re dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew’s world-leading research, global partnerships and beloved gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi – we’re using our trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity we rely on the critical support of our visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.
ENDS
Admission to the exhibition is included in a ticket to Kew Gardens. Pre-booking online offers the best value visit.
Notes
About the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew’s scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew’s Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction. Kew’s 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden and ‘living laboratory’, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was
made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the
largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew’s vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity
including ticket sales. For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 200,000 visitors with £1 tickets.
About The Singh Twins: Dr Amrit Kaur Singh MBE and Dr Rabindra Kaur Singh MBE
The Singh Twins (sisters) are award-winning, internationally recognised contemporary British artists who draw on the artistic conventions of diverse cultural traditions. Describing their art as Past-Modern, they explore both historical and current themes around society, politics and culture; demonstrate the contemporary relevance of history and tradition; and challenge Eurocentrism in the art world and wider society.
They are especially interested in dialogues around empire, colonialism and their legacies.
In 2010 they were made Honorary Citizens of Liverpool and in 2011 they each received an MBE for ‘services to the Indian miniature tradition of contemporary art’. They’ve since been awarded three Honorary Doctorates for their ‘outstanding contribution to British art’. In 2022 the hugely successful solo exhibition of their groundbreaking series ‘Slaves of Fashion’ at Firstsite Gallery led to them being put forward by public curator nomination to be considered by the jury to represent Britain at the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2024.
Their work has been hosted by established venues such as the National Portrait Gallery, London, National Museums Liverpool, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi. The exhibition at Kew will be one of the largest presentations of their work in London to date.
About Dr Henry Noltie
Dr Henry Noltie is a research associate of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and of the Natural History Museum.
When working at RBGE as a taxonomist, a curator and a historian of its Indian collections, he specialised in the botanical drawings made by Indian artists for Scottish East India Company surgeons. Noltie curated a series of exhibitions on this subject in their gallery.
He has written books on the collections of drawings commissioned by Alexander Gibson in the Bombay Presidency and by Robert Wight and Hugh Cleghorn in the Madras Presidency. The Cleghorn exhibition Forests and Gardens of South India travelled to India in the form of facsimiles, which were shown in Chennai and Hyderabad, which is where he first collaborated with Dr Sita Reddy.
About Dr Sita Reddy
Dr Sita Reddy is a writer, scholar and curator based in Hyderabad. She has been a visiting professor at the University of Hyderabad, and a research fellow at the Smithsonian Institution and the Wellcome Library.
With over fifteen years of teaching, research and curatorial experience at the intersection of art, science, critical museum studies and the emerging field of plant humanities, Reddy’s writing in recent years has focused on collection histories of Indian botanical art in global archives.
Reddy guest edited a volume of India’s oldest art magazine, Marg, on Indian botanical archives.
About Anjula Devi
Anjula Devi is an Indian chef and author known for her powerful blend of connection, empowerment, and storytelling through food. Anjula has captivated audiences with her recipes and the personal stories behind them. She continues to inspire others with her healthy approach to Indian cuisine.
Anjula is a consultant chef for Manchester United, arguably the biggest football club in the world, where she has designed a range of authentic recipes. She is also known for her work with a portfolio of leading brands.
Anjula has authored three successful cookbooks, Authentic Indian Food, in collaboration with Lakeland, Spice for Life and 15 Minute Indian, which is a game-changer in Indian cooking. The book features one pan recipes using minimal steps and ingredients.
Born in Southall, West London, to first-generation Indian immigrant parents, Anjula is one of eight siblings. She began her culinary journey at the age of ten, cooking alongside her father. Together, they would take the number 207 bus to Shepherd’s Bush Market to shop for spices, fish, and vegetables—a story she frequently shares with her Instagram followers through her popular Sunday evening posts.
Beyond her role as a chef, Anjula is passionate about teaching. She spent years volunteering in primary and special needs schools, a contribution recognised when she was chosen as a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
With her latest book, 15 Minute Indian which launched internationally in February 2025, Anjula has revolutionised the way we approach cooking Indian food, making it more accessible than ever—fewer ingredients, less time, less cost—and far healthier, encouraging a new generation to embrace Indian cuisine in a way that benefits both their health and lifestyle. Anjula’s own personal health journey inspired the recipes, which have boldly changed the dial in the way that Indian food is created.
About the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art
Located at Kew Gardens in London, the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art is the world’s first display space dedicated solely to this genre. Since it was opened in 2008 by Sir David Attenborough, the gallery has held over 50 exhibitions, welcomed more than a million visitors, and become the hub of the worldwide renaissance of botanical art. Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE studied botany at Oxford University before starting the Shirley Sherwood
Collection in 1990. Thirty years on, the Collection includes over 1,000 paintings and drawings, representing the work of over 300 contemporary botanical artists from 36 countries around the world. The collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has been a huge success, with the gallery showcasing a huge diversity of botanical art, raising the profile of the genre and the plants it portrays. Its walls have seen paintings by renowned artists such as Margaret Mee and Rory McEwen, and collections from Brazil, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and the USA. As well as displaying pieces from the Shirley Sherwood Collection, the gallery hosts a roster of genre-pushing exhibitions by independent artists. Recent examples include the intricate graphite drawings of the UK’s oldest oak trees by Mark Frith, an immersive installation by British artist Rebecca Louise Law, and sculptures by Dale Chihuly and David Nash. Recent artists on display in the gallery have included Jan Hendrix, Andrew Parker, Zadok Ben-David, Pip & Pop, Anila Quayyum Agha, Mat Collishaw, Marc Quinn and Felicity Aylieff.